
BSA has created updated versions of the Troop Program features for Scouts BSA. The Cooking program feature is available in digital format on the BSA website or can be purchased as a publication from you local Scout Shop.
The Cooking feature teaches Scouts how to make their favorite food and discover new recipes for use at home and at camp. Scouts learn the satisfaction of preparing their own meals. The program feature includes some general information and some more specific ideas for meetings:
- Learn how to safely prepare and store food
- Understand the nutritional content of food
- Learn about different spices
- Find out about different cooking methods: bake, broil, boil, pan-fry, stir-fry, deep-fry, microwave, roast, simmer, steam, and stew
- Consider special cooking events in their troop: family cooking day, Dutch oven competitions, food field trips, cooking as a fundraiser
Suggested troop meeting ideas are grouped by essential, challenging, or advanced. Here are a few you can see in the guide.
- Learn the basic components of cooking: time, ingredients, recipes, cookware, heat sources , technique (essential)
- Consider how the basics can be used for a dinner menu (essential)
- Review the dinner menu (challenging)
- Prepare a dessert (advanced)
- Learn about safety and burns (essential)
- Learn about safe food handling (challenging)
- Study the My Plate model (advanced)
- Plan a full menu for a weekend campout
- Learn basic methods of cooking (essential)
- Run a station to teach others a cooking method (challenging)
- Run stations for Dutch oven cooking and backpacking cooking (advanced)
There are also several games suggested to keep things interesting at your troop meetings
- Flapjack-Flipping Relay
- Cooking Kim’s Game
- What’s Cooking?
- Potato Peel Relay
- “Chopped” Camp Style
The plan even provides Scoutmaster’s minutes and ceremonies for meetings.
Then there is the “Main Event”. Once again, there are suggestions for essential, challenging, or advanced. Details and planning aids can be found in the online guide.
- Cook at a main event (essential)
- Hold a cooking competition (challenging)
- Cook without pots, pans, and utensils (advanced)
Find some related helps and achievements for the Cooking Troop Program Feature below.







